


The Dust of A Star

by EdgeofaBlade



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Amputation, BAMF Tony Stark, Bruce Banner Is a Good Bro, Gen, Hurt Tony Stark, I Don't Even Know, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2019-08-27
Packaged: 2019-09-12 09:39:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16870582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EdgeofaBlade/pseuds/EdgeofaBlade
Summary: At the end of Infinity War, Tony Stark was stranded on Titan, weak from blood loss and shock. But what if he never made it back? How will the Avengers react to seeing the Stark return? All that and more...!





	1. What happened to...

**Author's Note:**

> I was just doodling and then I had an idea: 'What if Tony Stark never made it back?'' and here we are!
> 
> This is my first fanfiction on both this fandom and website, so please give feedback! Thanks!
> 
> (AND, A4 trailer is out tomorrow and I. AM. PUMPED! I CAN'T WAIT!)

nonononononononononono _! This is a dream, right? Just a stupid dream. Yeah, that's right! hecantreallybegonehecan--'_

_Stark.'' Who was I kidding, he was gone, he was gone and never coming back. OhgodpeterwasgonehewasgonehewasdeadwhatamIgonnatell---_

_''Stark'' Dust blew across the landscape, mixing with the sand. Hewasgonehewasgonehewasdea--'_

**'STARK''** The weird robot alien chick's (was it Nebula?) voice called out, like a splash of water to the face. She (was it even a she?) was obviously losing patience, didn't blame her though. Who would want to be stuck with an old man on some deserted planet who could barely stand up straight? A mixture of blood and dust (dontthinkaboutthatdontthinkabouthat) that caked the roof of his mouth made it surprisingly difficult to speak. Every breath, agony, as if it ripped a patch of muscle from this wound (It probably did for all he knew or cared). He was losing blood, and fast, and yet, that all took a back seat in his mind at the minute, his mind everywhere, frantically searching for an answer to whatever the hell had happened.

How had this all happened? It went from one to a thousand in the span of under a minute. Last time he'd checked he was only facing second-rate thugs or terrorists. Like, come on, even Loki and Ultron paled in comparison to what had happened here. Oh god, there was going to be hell to pay (including a bucket load of PTSD fuuuunnnnn). Like, honestly? The world had him on the chopping block for Ultron, and that was just one city! ONE! Let alone the death of half the entire god be damned universe! This was gonna be a long freaking night...

 

-=+=-=+=!=+=-=+=-

The world had gone to pot. Chaos left and right, grief swallowing up any joy that managed to sprout. And for one group of people, that emptiness couldn't be any more present. The Former-Avengers (as well as Thor, Bruce, Rocket & Rhodey) sat around a giant table in the Compound. A heavy silence hung over the room. It wasn't uncomfortable, far from it. It was just...empty. They had lost a lot of people, good, great and innocent people. Wanda, Vision, Sam, Bucky, T'Challa, Groot, and so many more. But none stung just as bad as Tony. Tony Stark. Genius, billionaire, philanthropist. They were just how he seemed to the world, but those who knew him knew he was so, so, so much more than that. He was Iron Man, protector of the people, the one who fought the bad guys. He was a friend (although many in the room had lost that title), the most caring out of them all. And most importantly... the most human. Unlike any of the others there (Barton and Lang didn't count, they had given up their families in Germany), Tony Stark was surprisingly the only one with a life. He had a fiance, he had best friends. But, with all of the good stuff that came with that, he also got the negatives. He was effected by what had happened, he witnessed the consequences of this life. PTSD had always been an issue (especially leading up to Ultron), but the metal mask he wore caused them to forget that he, too, had emotions. He felt fear, he felt guilt, he felt sadness. The world had lost a star, and it would never be replaced.

-=+=-=+=!=+=-=+=-

Ten years. It had been ten freaking years since the snap had happened nothing had changed... It had been a tough and gruelling battle against the Titan, lots of bloodshed. But, none of it had been worth the hassle. They could do nothing, the dusted (as they were so-called) hadn't returned, and the world had moved on. Those who had watched their loved ones fade to nothing still felt the sting of their deaths, but it had numbed over the years.

They had given up all hope of those who had gone on that alien ship would ever return. Stephen Strange, Peter Quill, Drax, Mantis, Peter Parker... and...

It had been ten years since Tony Stark had last been spotted. It was obvious he hadn't died due to the snap, he would've returned by now. Those who had been on Titan that day had all been there. They had all watched as the Mad Titan had stabbed Stark. And by the looks in their eyes, it was obvious he wasn't gonna come back. And so the world had moved on, forgetting the hero, and focused on the now. The Intergalactic Avengers had been formed (IA for short), consisting of multiple surviving Asgardians that hadn't been dusted in the snap (that included Valkarye, Loki (who, to the surprise of really no one, had survived, again) the original Avengers, Rocket, Rhodes, multiple Dora Milagji and many new faces showed up. They were stationed all over the galaxy, protecting others and making sure that nothing like the now dubbed:'Infinity War' could ever happen again. And yet, after all this time, not a single one had ever returned to the battlefield, nor had they ever been to Titsn. But, it didn't matter about: not wanting it, this wasn't about them. It was about honouring their legacy.

So... ten years after they had disappeared, the IA finally went looking for those who had taken the one-way trip to the dead planet. And what they found... it was quite the opposite of what they were expecting.


	2. Hope?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set a few weeks after the Snap, Tony gets a nasty surprise, whilst the rest of the universe rebuild what was destroyed by a certain Titan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mery (LATE) Christmas! This chapter is slightly late, as I didn’t really have the chance to write this!! Hope ya enjoy!

It had been a rough few days, Tony had held on by sheer stubbornness and had used a first aid kit that had dropped when Strange had died. (Ether the doctor, ey Strange?)

However, with barely enough food to last a day, Tony had to resort to other... more extreme measures, he wasn't proud of what he had done to those poor things, but... desperate times, come to desperate measures. 

It wasn't the tastiest, but after what he had done to get it, he wasn't about to complain. From what he could tell, it was most likely going to be a while 'till he would see his next meal. Surprisingly (considering the fact that he was on what looked like a desert planet), water wasn't an issue, as he had set up shop right next to a giant lake. 

But, if he was going to miss one thing the most (food-wise anyway), it was coffee. Sweet, delicious coffee, that had helped him through many nights where he couldn't bear to sleep, was now no longer an option. Meaning... that he would just have to grin and bear it... Yaaayyy...

The engineer had yet to go scavenging, as he chose to have at least somewhere safe to sleep for a few nights over supplies. It had been a sheer force of luck that those...  _things_ had wandered into what they did not realise was a slaughterhouse. 

Getting impatient just sat doing nothing, Stark made plans to go out into the wild, deciding he better do something other than just sat on his ass, waiting for Nebula to return.

Oh yeah! Nebula had totally abandoned him by the way! He was pretty sure she had just given up all hope of his survival and just suddenly left, taking the only way out of this goddamned hellhole. He was screwed

 

*Whoosh*

Hang on a... What in the name of Science was that?! Considering it was a desert planet, there weren’t many winds here, so a strong, loud gust from no where was kinda jarring.

Stark felt a twang of excitement, was it the others? Had they come for him? Was it Nebula? Had she found supplies and returned for him?

Forgetting all of his skeptism, Tony ran out, waiting to see the faces of friends who he had left home.

What he came face to face with was... unexpected.

“Stark.”

Yup... he was completely screwed....

 

-=+=-

For weeks on end, the surviving Avengers (plus the Ex-Avengers) worked day & night to try and reverse the Snap, to no avail. 

It seemed there was nothing they could do to bring back the lost ones, and so... they stopped trying. They just let the dusted be dust and began working on those who had lived.

Using the money from Stark (which Pepper had generously given them: ‘For Tony’ she’d said), they created ophanages, for kids who had lost their parents; support centres, for people who needed help coming to realise that their friends and family were gone. Charities for those whom’s homes had been destroyed by the aftermath of 50% of the population vanished into thin air. As it turns out, when pilots, drivers and all of the sort turned into dust, things were usually destroyed.

Anticipating Thanos’ inevitable return, multiple training facilities were created, training humans and mutants alike to become Avengers and aid in the rebuilding.

Multiple teams were also preparing to go out into space and help out other planets who had been in the crossfire of the Titan’s wrath.

The universe would slowly rebuild, with Earth as the metal supports, holding it all together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise!! Yeah... um.  
> Sorry for the wait! I had intended to finish this before the holidays, but.... things don’t always go my way.
> 
> I’ll try and get the next chapter one up quicker!!


	3. It doesn’t exist.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony comes to face the grape

Hg“Stark” Well... shit. How could he be here? Wait... no that’s not right,  _why_ was he here. What did he want? To finish the job? Or just to rub salt in the many wounds.

”Come out Stark. Don’t hide, I know you’re here.” Thanos’ smooth voice called out, echoing over the vast cannions that littered the desert ground.

He had two options, run for the hills and risk passing of the purple grape, or stand tall and walk out to what was most likely his death, retaining at least some of his pride.

Taking a deep breath (that was really just  meant to calm his nerves), Tony Stark stood from where he sat, legs wobbling due to still being weak from blood loss.

”I am losing patience Stark.” The deep call of the Titan was lined with venom, showing that he would not wait much longer.

Closing his eyes, the man stepped out, ignoring the screams of protest from the rational part of his brain. Eyes filled with a fire that still shone just as bright as before, he came face to face with the Mad Titan.

”Good, good, I was starting to think you had curled up and died with how long it took you. Stark.” A sick amusement was lined in Thanos’ voice, as if it was all so hilarious to him, the fact that he had obliterated half of the entire goddamn universe. His mouth still kept stubbornly shut (it was defiantly not to stop him from screaming words so colourful it would put Natasha’s extensive vocabulary to shame), glaring daggers at the ‘Saviour of all life’ or whatever the egotistical prick called himself.

”You interest me Stark. How is it that one lone man was able to destroy an entire Chitari battalion and go hand to hand with a God? You were left alive for a reason, you were given mercy for you served a purpose.” A burning rage washed over him, and before he could stop himself, Tony felt his voice, croaky due to being unused, cry out.

”Mercy?! Is this what you call mercy, you insane bastard!? This is not mercy, i don’t know what you tell yourself, but in no way is this mercy! What? You didn’t get what you wanted so you decided to kill half the universe? Your daughter didn’t than—“ The 50 year old felt his voice suddenly cut off, as a indescribable pain shot through him, crumpling his entire body and sending it crashing to the floor like a puppet with its wires cut.

”You dare?! Foolish mortal, you are not worthy to speak of things you do not know. I did this for the sake of the entire universe! Your tiny brain is unable to see the entire picture. I hoped you of all people would see Stark. But, it appears I have greatly misjudged you. It does not matter, you will be useful in other ways.”

A strong feeling of dread settled in the humans stomach, great, once again, his abnormally large mouth had got the better of him and he was paying the price.

What did he mean...? What the hell did the Mad Titan want with him?

Opening his mouth, as if to snarl, the man suddenly realised how dry his mouth was, caked with both blood and sand. Trying to wet his tongue, Tony only felt the dryness get worse, as if the water was drying it out even more. No matter what he did, his tongue never got better, even going as far as to slightly crack, due to the lack of moisture.

Looking back to the Gauntlet Holder, with a look that could only be described as fearful, Tony saw a maniacal grin painted across his face, illuminated by the red glow of the Infinity Stone..

A sudden realisation hit Stark, this was a man, crazed and unhinged who truly believed that death and torture was for the greater good. He was sold by the nefarious laughter spilling from the Titans lips and the amused look in his eyes.

”Let’s see what else I can do to you.”

**Tony’s POV (A/N: This is mainly just so it’s much easier to write this next bit, as it is a bit hard to write in Third Person)**

 

After what felt like an eternity (it even might’ve been for all I knew) the never ending dryness finally disappeared. But, even as the wave of relief washed over me, I knew it wasn’t the end yet.

Once again, a stone from the gauntlet began to glow, this time the blue one. It seemed that something else was going to happen...

Like a slap to the face, a sudden cold blew over me, sending a shiver up and down my spine. I hadn’t felt like this since... since...

Good God.

Since Loki tried to use that septer on him... And, well, he had seen what that has done to Helen, Barton and Selvig. And that was just when it was in the hands of both a maniacal God with daddy issues that would put Batman to shame, and a Skynet bot. What would happen if power like that was handled by an insane giant purple dude who had already wiped out half the stinking universe.

Well, no time like the present, am I right? Good lord this was gonna hurt.


	4. Authors Note

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not a Chapter!

I started writing The Dust of a Star at the beginning of December 2018, when I had nothing to do and wanted to write. I didn't really know what I was doing, so I wrote a chapter and published it. I wrote another two chapters other the span of a month, publishing the third one at the end of the month. But by that point school was starting again, and didn't have any time to write. A few months later, I went back and read through it, planning to write another chapter. But, I just couldn't find the motivation to write, and so here we are. Eight months later and have to, unfortunately, put this series on hold. 

It might not be forever, but it will be a while before I pick it up again, and I will probably end up re-writing should that day ever come.

Once again, I'm sorry.

**Author's Note:**

> Right then, sorry if this was so short, again, I'm sorta new at this. So please, feedback would be appreciated! Sorry, it was basically just Tony, Tony, Tony!


End file.
